


Familiar Faces

by dancer4813



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (as much as he can be after a dragon attack), Can you believe these two have hardly ever talked to each other?, CritRole RS Week, Critical Role Relationship Week, Friendship, Gilmore is himself, Kima is frustrated, Set after Episode 45 - "Those Who Walk Away", Tal'dorei Campaign, VM is joked about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 14:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9661556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancer4813/pseuds/dancer4813
Summary: Something about Gilmore reminds Kima of Allura. It's strangely comforting.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So this is technically "Day 2" of CritRole RS week, but somehow my timestream flipped due to a little thing called life and I ended up at the end of the week instead of when I was planning on posting this... But I'm getting there with the rest of them as well, so hopefully they'll all be up soon!

Kima slammed her warhammer into the side of a wooden training dummy, the thud of the metal and the splintering of wood doing little to chase away the worry and fear that was eating away at her chest. She had been in Whitestone for only a short while, and while Keyleth had scryed on Allura and said she appeared to be safe, there was a consistent nagging doubt that was only fueled by the knowledge that things could change at any moment.

Dragons were fucking terrifying, Kima had learned. Especially ancient red ones. And though she knew Allura and Drake were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, she couldn't help appealing to Bahamut with each strike she landed on the effigy before her. 

“Let them- return-” she muttered, taking a breath before landing another series of blows on the dummy. “And give me- your strength- to protect them.”

She'd already lost enough friends to dragon fire.

Kima stepped back, breathing heavily but not winded, wiping a trickle of sweat from her brow. For all the shit she gave Vord about early morning training sessions, they really did help her stamina.

However, about to start another volley of blows, Kima saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she whipped around, hammer raised in preparation.

She came face-to-face with a wide-eyed Shaun Gilmore, who seemed to have just lowered himself onto the bench on one side of the training field. She'd actually never met the man in person, but how many other people in Tal’dorei were of Marquesian heritage, had flowing purple robes, and a distinct air of magic about them?

(She could only determine the latter from spending as much time as she had around Allura, and it conjured up a strong sense of nostalgia for when they travelled together, all those years ago.)

The man looked resplendent as one could when they were involved in a dragon attack less than a week prior, which, Kima thought, was pretty damn good. Granted, for anyone besides one Shaun Gilmore, their presence would not have been  _ quite _ as refined. She’d only ever heard tales of the man from Allura and Vox Machina, but if he was managing to look so well less than a week after dragons rained fire, acid, and ice on his city, then most, if not all, of their stories seemed to hold some true weight. 

“Lady Kima, I presume,” Gilmore said, inclining his head slightly, the movement ginger in its execution, but still elegant. “A pleasure.”

Kima realized she had been staring, and bowed her own head in greeting, thinking she shouldn’t be surprised the man knew her name. Vox Machina could never keep their mouths shut. “You’ve got that right.”

She transferred the hammer to her other hand and hefted it onto her shoulder, a clang of metal on metal ringing through the yard. “And you’re Shaun Gilmore, archanist extraordinaire.”

Gilmore chuckled, one hand jumping to his ribs, but he smiled again. “Good to know my reputation precedes me.”

“Likewise,” Kima said, cocking an eyebrow. “Though it seems hard for it not to, with such excellent advertisers.” 

“Is that so?” he asked, his eyes lighting up warmly, the corners of his lips pulling a bit more at his mouth.

“Vox Machina mentioned your glorious goods in the Underdark once or twice,” Kima said, thinking back to those days underneath Kraghammer. They blurred together, what with the lack of sun, but a few things stuck out in her memories. “Granted, they always seem to bring up your wares in the middle of battle, while fighting the darkest of beasts.” 

“That sounds like them,” Gilmore said, laughing out loud again, though it looked it pained him to do so, as he winced, a hand rising to his ribs. 

Kima understood.  

“When you get your shop back up and running I’ll have to stop by sometime,” Kima said, shifting her weight to one side and cocking her hip. “Vasselheim isn’t really the city for fanciful magical wares, but Allura says you’ve always got interesting trinkets in stock.”

“I aim to please,” Gilmore said with a nod, just barely covering another wince.

“So, what brings you down to the training grounds today?” Kima asked, swinging her hammer to the ground so she could lean against it. The man looked like he could collapse at any moment and Kima knew, having been in her own fights against dragons, that they left you beat up for a long while. “The new militia had their first practice session a couple hours ago and something tells me you’re not here to attack dummies or go over sword forms.”

“I’m simply getting out of the castle getting some fresh air,” Gilmore said, glancing over his shoulder at the tall white form on the hill behind him. “Thought I might see a bit of Whitestone while I’m here.”

Kima narrowed her eyes. 

“The training grounds isn’t exactly a tourist site-”

“For now?” Gilmore interrupted, his lips pursing, “It’s enough.”

Kima debated whether the issue was worth pursuing, but she noted the quick rise and fall of his shoulders, his quick breathing and the paleness she hadn't seen at first glance due to his dark skin, and she thought better of it.

“Anyway,” he continued, stretching out his legs, “don't let me keep you from your training.”

“I was nearly finished,” Kima said truthfully, looking back at the dummy, its side smashed in and a good chunk of its leg lying on the ground. “But I'll walk up to the castle with you after I'm finished.”

“I would appreciate the company,” Gilmore said, a small grin returning to his face. 

Kima nodded, and returned to the wooden figure, which would probably need to be replaced. Steadying herself, she tried not to think about the fact she was being observed and took a few more minutes to deal blows to the dummy, circling around it as needed. She finished a final series of attacks with a high swipe and took off the dummy's head, which had already been disfigured by an earlier strike.

It landed on the ground with a soft thump, and Kima nodded, the knot in her chest a bit looser than it had been. 

“It looks satisfying,” Gilmore noted as she came over, grabbing a drink from her waterskin and leaning her hammer against the bench he sat on. 

“It is,” Kima said, eyeing the man in front of her critically. “Have you never sparred with a weapon before?”

“Oh gods no,” Gilmore laughed. “I learned some basic self-defense, but I've never formally trained.”

Kima thought of Allura, of how she had hesitated to take a dagger Kima had offered her on their third day after they'd met so long ago. She remembered scoffing at the arcanist, then discounting all of her previous assumptions once she'd seen the woman in combat for the first time. Allie could hold her own. 

The thought lifted her spirits. 

“Magic is enough for you?” she guessed, tucking away her waterskin and the rest of her belongings. 

“Always has been,” Gilmore said, pushing himself to the edge of the bench and rising gingerly. “It's gotten me through plenty.”

“Then I'm sure it'll get you through plenty more,” Kima said with a nod, waiting easily for his slow and careful steps to reach her side. “Well met, Shaun Gilmore.”

She held out her hand and he shook it, and they started back to the castle.

(And if Gilmore had noticed the small rush of divine healing energy Kima had given him, keeping his legs from shaking and making his breathing easier, he didn't say anything to her about it. )

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to see me recommend fanfics, cry with me about the cast and NPCs alike, or watch me spaz out during the episodes check out my main blog: [dancer4813](http://www.dancer4813.tumblr.com), or my writing tumblr: [dancerwrites](http://www.dancerwrites.tumblr.com).


End file.
